Almost Hollow
by Oblivion-Oathkeeper DP
Summary: Naruto dies from an explosion during his Hokage inauguration and ends up in the soul society. After years of training to become a shinigami, will Naruto be able to work his way up the ranks of the seritei and come to terms with the memory of his death?
1. Graduated

_The great crisis, or at least that's what I called it. From the time when I first made it back to the village to the fourth great ninja war, that was the best way to describe it. To think that it was my fault it happened. If I'd only brought Sasuke back earlier this'd never have happened. I wouldn't have lost so many of my…_

_I guess ending all the fighting was all this kekkegenkai was good for. Because of it I gained two new allies and regained an old comrade. Too bad I didn't know what it was until it was too late. All the new comrades in the world couldn't replace them._

"Can you see me? Can you see Hinata, Sakura, kiba, Fuzzy-Brows, and Neji. I've done it. I've finally lived my dream; I'm The Hokage, The youngest ever at that. But now I have to do something that everyone fears… even as the Hokage." Naruto slowly walked out to the charred ruins of his village, meeting his end.

Naruto shot up out of his bed with a scream. It has been three years since he had joined the soul society and only today he was finishing the academy.

"There it is again. Why can't I just forget? I guess I'm just nervous that's all" Naruto has had the same dream for the last week of the academy and he knew it from when he died. The recollection of the experience was vague but the dream was all too vivid.

"Maybe a shower will clear my head."

After getting out the shower Naruto put on the usual shinigami attire and ran out the door for when he graduated and his Zanpakuto was born.

At the academy Naruto sat at the front of the class so he could hear his sensei clearly and accurately. The teacher was an average sized man with a ponytail pointing towards the sky. He had a scar above his nose and a wrap around his left eye. He rarely wore a shirt showcasing his multiple scars obviously obtained through battle. When Naruto first met him he was astonished at how much he looked like Iruka sensei, but he knew that couldn't be him. Naruto saw him die, and when was when devoured by a hollow. Being unable to protect someone precious to him twice almost drove him insane. Training was the only thing keeping his sanity from being a distant memory, which did nothing but help his studies.

"Today is a pinnacle moment in your shinigami lives. Your Zanpakuto are your partners until you fall in battle. Depending weather you can connect with it you can unlock amazing power. NOW RELEASE THE PART OF YOUR SPIRITS SEPERATING YOU FROM YOUR BIRTH RIGHT!" As if on cue everyone in the room's hands started to glow a blinding white… except for Naruto's. His hand was a wicked red with a black tint.

"What the heck is going.." Before Naruto could finish his question all the glows dimmed revealing an individual Zanpakuto for each student, each one different than the last. Naruto's was a simple katana with a red hilt with intricate designs on it that reminded him of a certain someone he'd like to forget. At the base there was a red halve of a yin yang sign. Interrupting Naruto's inspection of his new "companion" The sensei spoke

"You have you're swords but weather you can or can't communicate with it is up to you. Your ability to do so; or lack there of, will determine your squad as well as your seat. There will be an ability evaluation in one week, you have that much time to learn your zanpakuto's name, abilities, as well as devise a fighting style. After seeing how well you fight with your new ally you will be put into the squad we deem appropriate. DISMISSED!"

Naruto walked home to his room where he contemplated how he would communicate with his Zanpakuto. Slowly but surely he fell asleep thinking of ideas.

There was screaming everywhere. Flames engulfed houses and people in the way. Naruto's ceremony was cut short by devastating means. He watched the assailant kill the friends he had left one by one, the blood of his loved ones stain his beloved village's ground. He watched the pain and fear in each of their eyes and didn't act to do anything until it was too late. He ran up to the assailant and as he came into view the world stopped.

_Do you want to stop this from happening?_

"I can't I was, I am too week"

_Do you want to have the power to keep things like this from happening again?_

"Yes I will never be forced to watch my cherished ones die again."

_Then call my name it's…_

Naruto shot up sweating gripping his Zanpakuto. He looked at the time it was noon. He got up, took a shower and got dressed. That dream startled him. It was different than the reoccurring dream he was plagued with the last week He was ready to try to communicate with his sword when he heard a knock at the door.

"Hey Naru-kun" He knew that voice all too well; she was a very close friend when he joined the academy. She helped him with many things including basic sword techniques.

"Do you think he's in there?"

"Of course the training grounds haven't been charred so of course he didn't leave yet."

Those two voices were just as soothing to hear. They were two of his favorite training partners. He ran to the door and opened it eagerly, and there stood three of his best friends in all of soul society, Momo Hinamori, Kira Izuru, and Hisagi Shuhei. Naruto was suddenly greeted by a three person glomp.

"Naruto you've finally graduated" Momo blurted out

"Is that your Zanpakuto" asked Shuhei

"Did you learn its name" Asked Kira

"Forget that have you learned any new kido" Asked Momo

"How about sword skills any new sword techniques" Shuhei continued

"What is your sword's ability" Kira asked

"ANSWER US" the three said in unison

Not only was Naruto's body aching from the three person tackle but now his head was spinning from all of the questions and they just continued to come. Naruto could only think of one thing to say. Before he could stop himself it was already said.

"Get off me and let me show you" If Naruto was in his right state of mind he would never have said anything close to that, but he was panicked and excited about leaving the academy. He knew there was no way he could even begin to stand up against a third seat let alone three lieutenants. But what worried him the most wasn't that he'd get the floor wiped with his face; it was that there was no going back.

The four walked to their destination at an alarmingly slow rate, mostly because naruto was dragging his feet. When ever he'd glance over he'd see either Shuhei or Kira eyeing him like hungry lions. The only thing keeping him from breaking down and crying then and there was that Momo didn't seem too happy about charring his face off.

"I can't wait to see how good you've gotten in kido Naru-kun"

"Um, yeah.. about that"

"Here we are" Hisagi and Kira said in unison. They were just outside of rukongai at a field that provided good cover as well as room enough for acrobatics. The field was mostly made up of large boulders on the ground and sand. But far off at the end of the field there was a large patch of grass. There were three trees there as well. When Naruto notices them he couldn't help but remember when team 7 first trained together, and then the dream.

He quickly shook the thought from his head and realized that Momo was explaining something that seemed important.

"...Hollow so try not to do that. Well that's about it are you ready" Momo finished just as Naruto realized he should have been listening. He knew how much she hated being ignored so he didn't dare ask her to repeat what she said.

"Of course I'm ready; I'm just hoping you three don't get hurt too bad. So who's getting' beat down first?" naruto knew he was in for the biggest beat down of his life but he was already in too deep so he would make it a pretty good learning experience.

"I'll go first ok Naru-kun" Momo said

"Um.. ok." Naruto reluctantly took his battle stance, drawing his sword while shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Naruto didn't want to wait for the call to start, he immediately ran at Momo with his sword brandished.  
"Whoa Naru-kun" Momo yelled causing naruto to come to a screeching halt. "You know im not really that good with sword combat so let's only use kido in our fight, ok?"

Naruto didn't see the harm in it, although he didn't have much talent for jutsue when he was alive he was pretty good at kido in every field. "Sure that'll be fun" For a split second Naruto felt like he could win until reality hit him like a huge blue flame.

"Hado 33 sokatsui!" And with one simple incantationless spell Naruto's hopes of success were burned to a crisp.


	2. Life Lessons

Naruto flew out of the dust, kicked up by Momo's onslaught of kido spells, into a rock next to Shuhei and Kira.

"Feel like quitting kiddo?" Shuhei asked with a smirk

"Of course n…." Naruto's statement was cut short as a byakurai landed right next to his head, piercing the boulder. "You know, I think I might consider that now"

"I think the time for considering is long over Naruto" Kira said as he pointed out a yellow rope of kido crawling toward Naruto.

"Bakudo number 4? Come on!" Naruto yelled as the kido rope dragged him toward Momo, who had her sword suspended in mid air. She hit the bottom of the sword causing it to spin in mid air. As the spinning increased Naruto thought he could use the spinning to his advantage. He jumped up hoping to get the kido caught up in the spinning Zanpakuto and disrupt her focus. Naruto then saw the look of triumph in her eye which caused him to visibly pale.

"Hado number 58 Tenran" Suddenly a gust of wind formed a tornado and wisped Naruto into the sky spinning and screaming. Naruto felt it was time to get off of the defensive.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat, Bakudo number 6 Geki!" Suddenly Momo was frozen in place while a red light engulfed her entire form. "Bakudo number 9, Horin!" Momo was unable to stop the orange rope from wrapping around her, constricting her further. "I'm glad we had this opportunity to fight, and I'm glad Hisagi showed me a better way to use this spell. Hado number 11 Tsuzuri Raiden" Immediately a flow of visible yellow electricity sped towards Momo. "I win Jin-gle-kun" Naruto said triumphantly as he elongated the nickname she hated so much… until he heard her mumbling.

"….and defend your heart. Bakudo number 39 Enkosen!" Suddenly a medium sized orange shield appeared stopping the electric current before it reached her and separating the orange kido rope. Now able to move she drew a triangle in the air leaving a yellow trail with her finger. "Bakudo number 30 Shitotsu Sansenn" Suddenly three golden fangs appeared and shot out at Naruto, pinning him to the same boulder he ran into earlier. Momo slowly walked over to Naruto with a sadistic smile on her face. She slowly moved her face closer to his causing his eyes to dart left and right looking for an exit. Naruto clenched his eyes shut ready for the finishing blow "I concede defeat Naru-kun" Naruto's eyes shot open with a glint of relief. She then hit him on the head causing the world to spin for a brief moment. "But if you ever call me that name again you'll be getting more than just a hit on the head."

"I'm sorry Momo-sama. I'll never do it again, I promise." Naruto rarely used any respectful honorifics with any of his friends but he knew they could be horrifying when angered without some kissing up to "Now can you please release me from this spell, I'm starting to go numb" Momo released the spell causing Naruto to hit the floor with a thud. Kira walked over and started to use the techniques he learned while in the 4th squad to heal Naruto's cuts and bruises. "What are u doing" Naruto asked warily as his wounds closed and healed.

"Healing you" Kira simply stated while continuing the treat Naruto.

"Thank you then Kira" Naruto said as he felt his fatigue and pain slowly fade away.

"Don't be so thankful, I'm only doing this because Shuhei said he wanted to fight you at full strength. Personally I think making you fight while hurt is the best way to see how much you've grown" Kira spoke in a deadpan tone that cut Naruto deeper than any maniacal laugh ever could have.

"Eh…" Naruto looked over to Shuhei and didn't see the calm cool and collected visage he usually shown, he saw underneath to his true feelings. He saw a demon with a demonic grin and a sadistic glint in its eyes. "Hey guys I appreciate what you're doing and all but I think I'm just going to, you know go back to the academ…"

"Done" Kira said cutting Naruto's statement short. Before Naruto had a chance to stand up Shuhei had already landed a devastating uppercut sending Naruto flying up into the air.

"Keep your guard up noodle boy; I shouldn't have been able to land such a slow hit on you." Shuhei was always known to be a caring person despite his tough guy appearance, but anytime he was in a fight or even a sparring match he was as ruthless as a hollow, maybe even worse.

Naruto hit the ground with a thud and jumped up pointing at Shuhei accusingly.

"But I wasn't even re.." Naruto's statement was cut short when Shuhei appeared in front of him again and punched him square in the mouth.

"I told you not to drop you're guard. We're fighting using everything you've learned. The only thing is that you can't release you're sword because if you did that I'd have to release mine and that just wouldn't be fair" Shuhei then rushed at Naruto with his sword brandished and was satisfied when his sword met metal with a familiar clang sound. "So you're finally paying attention, I might have to work after all"

"Yeah I just had a quick thought." Shuhei noticed Naruto's sword covered his eyes from view. "Since you said to use everything I've ever learned if you'd get mad if I used what I've learned while….. alive?"

"What do you mean from when you were alive? It's impossible to remember anything from when you were alive."

"Let's see if that's true" Naruto looked up at Shuhei and saw him visibly flinch. What Shuhei saw wasn't Naruto's usual sparkling blue eyes. He saw two sadistic, evil red eyes with slit pupils. Naruto's famous whisker marks deepened and became more prominent. Even his hair became more feral than usual. "I have always been afraid of doing this, because I could never know what would happen; but I think you three could stop me if something were to go wrong." Naruto thrust his sword back causing Shuhei to crash into a rock; causing it to crack significantly. Shuhei grinned and burst out of the rock with a purple octangular pole in his hand.

"So this is what you've been hiding from us. I still think the fact that you remember anything from when you were alive is a load of bull. Bakudo 62 Hyapporankan" Shuhei threw the pole and it spread out into hundreds of smaller poles.

"Classic Shuhei" Naruto said as he ducked and dodged the seemingly never ending onslaught of poles with ease. "I think you're holding back. Any normal time you would have been attacking me while that spell was trying to do its job. Either you're holding back… or you're afraid of me" Naruto said with a laugh that provoked Shuhei to double up the kido.

"As if I'd be afraid of you, kiddo" Shuhei wasn't lying when he said he wasn't afraid of Naruto, it was him and Kira who showed him how to max out his kido to instill fear in lesser shinigami. It was just this side of Naruto was different and it disturbed him. Sure Naruto may have the same mannerisms and everything but they were more feral. His movements, his tone of voice, even the way he stood made him seem like an animal.

"Ok then, if you're not going to attack me, them I'm just going to have to attack you" Naruto said as he rushed at Shuhei while still dodging the kido with amazing speed.

"Don't be so cocky" Shuhei said as he smirked at Naruto and put his hands on the ground. "Bakudo number 21 sekienton" Suddenly a burst of smoke kicked up obstructing Naruto's view.

"I can still smell you Hisagi-Sensei" Naruto said as he changed direction bursting out of the smoke in front of Shuhei. Naruto tried to swing at him when he was surprised to see that he couldn't move. He looked at his body to see that there were strange orange kido energies sticking to him, holding him in place.

"Bakudo number 12 fushibi" Shuhei started. "Do you really think I wouldn't take advantage of you having to dodge me last batch of spells? Well I did, it takes a while to actually set this up so it could trap you as you are now. Luckily for me I didn't have to do much to get you in to my trap" Shuhei put his hands next to the kido energy attached to his lieutenant's badge and started to cast a spell. "This won't hurt as much as it would have if Momo were to do it but I think it'll get the job done. Hado number 31.."

"Instead of talking and gloating like an evil genius who caught his arch nemesis, why don't you look under you?" Naruto said as Shuhei felt a distinct rumble and a sword then an arm shot out from under the ground. Shuhei flipped back and saw that Naruto was out of the bindings and taking his sword stance.

"Impossible I put the max amount of effort into that spell." He then looked over to where he cast the spell and saw that Naruto was still there. What the Hell is going on"

"I told you I'll use everything I've learned since I was alive, and here's the first, the shadow clone jutsue. Now we're going to have some fun"

"In that case, reap kaze…" Shuhei started to release his Zanpakuto until Naruto's clone stopped him by making Shuhei parry an attack.

"Sorry Shuhei but I didn't release my Zanpakuto so you can't release yours, it's only fair" Naruto's clone said as he continued the onslaught of attacks on the lieutenant.

"There's no proof to that" Shuhei stated firmly until he noted something that made his assumption completely wrong. Nothing changed about the original Naruto or his sword. His spiritual pressure didn't increase either in fact it actually got weaker.

"I figure you don't still think I released my sword, see what happened was during your little smoke screen I created a shadow clone" The original Naruto stated. "I gave him half of everything, my spirit pressure and something that you don't believe I still posses, my chakra"

Shuhei was getting irritated by Naruto's arrogance, especially for someone who has yet to be assigned to any of the 13 court guard squads. "Ok then one of you is getting burned to a crisp. Hado 31 shakkaho" The spell traveled through the kido spell attached to Naruto and made a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared Shuhei didn't see any charred form at all. He didn't see any remnants of Naruto. He gasped, afraid that he took the training too far. Kira let out a stifled gasp and Momo let out a shriek of terror. Shuhei dropped to his knees for a second and was bombarded by spells seemingly from nowhere.

"Two more things I learned when I was alive, the substitution jutsue and basic genjutsu. Still think I'm lying?" Naruto said as he faded into view. Naruto then put his hands into a familiar cross shaped sign and a burst of smoke covered the field. "Mass shadow clone jutsue" All the clones yelled at once creating a large echo effect.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens, Hado number 73,Soren Sokatsui!" A huge plume of blue flame burst out of Shuhei's hands and into every clone in the area, dispelling them. Naruto visibly paled as he saw how quickly his clones were destroyed. His awe wasn't timed as well as it could have been because as soon as he had jumped from the blast Shuhei was already assaulting him blow after blow. "Those hits were just for fun. I quit, you did well kiddo" Shuhei walked away leaving Naruto laying on the floor regretting he ever brought the idea of a sparring match up.

"Well I guess it's my turn then. Ok should we start?" Kira stepped up and immediately took up his battle stance.

"But don't you want to, you know, heal me before we start?" Naruto said franticly while still on the ground.

"No you heard what I said about you're injuries Naruto" Kira looked as depressed as a child that dropped its lollipop, but his tone was as ruthless as the man who sent him to the soul society.

"What?" Naruto couldn't believe his ears. He was really going to regret brining up the sparring idea.


	3. Home again

Naruto struggled to get up off the ground and took a battle stance that complemented how tired he actually was. He held his sword out and toward the ground with one hand with his other in front of him ready to parry any weaker attacks.

"It's not often we see you take that stance Naruto-san. Either you're more tired than I thought or you're scared. Is that it Naruto-san, are you scared?" Kira took on a triumphant smirk which was unusual for him.

Naruto flinched at the constant use of honorifics. Naruto had worked long and hard to get Kira to just use his name without any suffix of any kind and to hear him use them again only meant one thing, he was trying to distance himself from Naruto.

"It's obvious that I'm tired but there's no way I'd be scared of you, this fight, or anything" Naruto yelled this with an obvious uncertainty in his voice

"Is that so Naruto-san, well you should be. Battles are things to fear, and I'll show you first hand right now. I'm not going to be holding back. Raise your head, Wabiske." Kira's sword then started glowing azure blue and shaped into a long box like L with the edge of the blade tracing the inside of the sword.

"I'm not scared of you or that stupidly shaped sword of yours" Naruto yelled while preparing to dodge every strike headed his way. "I already know what your sword can do and as long as I keep that in mind your swords nothing but a letter"

"Apparently you weren't listening to what I said just a few moments ago. I WILL MAKE YOU FEAR BATTLE." Kira said while emphasizing the last statement. Kira then disappeared and reappeared behind Naruto and swung his sword directly at Naruto's scalp.

Naruto could only curse as he was forced to block the oncoming attack lest he lose his head.

"That's one. You're one step closer to losing Naruto-san"

"Ha! This is light as a feather. It'll take way more than one strike from you to stop me" Naruto said triumphantly as he grinned until something told him to look at his feet. There on the ground were innumerable slash marks, trademark of a dull blade. Before Naruto could say anything the ground crumbled beneath him creating a fairly large crater. "When did you…" Naruto's question was cut short as he noticed Kira falling toward him with Wabisuke ready to strike again. Naruto tried to move but was immobilized by the heavy sand covering his lower half.

"Shit" Naruto pointed a finger at the sand "Hado number 1, Sho" The sand immediately blew away and he was able to roll avoiding a major blow. Instead of taking a strike to the chest he merely took one to his left arm.

"Not bad Naruto-san but obviously not good enough" Kira said as he noticed Naruto's stance leaning heavily to the left. "That's two"

"It could be number 100 and I'd still beat you" Naruto yelled faking as if the extra weight didn't bother him.

"Ok let's test that, every hit you take only makes you twice as heavy than you were before. Now let's see if you can dodge this with all that extra weight. Hado number 31, shockaho" A red blast of flaming energy sped toward Naruto. Naruto created a clone to take the blast. The impact kicked up a mixture of black and white smoke. Kira jumped through the smoke and caught Naruto off guard. Kira struck Naruto's sword numerous times causing Naruto to fall to his knees.

"That's 56, still think you can win"

"I'll just have to change tactics, that's all" Naruto said as he stuck his sword into the ground. Suddenly with a gust of wind Naruto dispersed into multiple tadpoles. "I bet you didn't see that coming did you Kira-sempai"

"Don't get so cocky Naruto-san" Kira said as he pulled his sword back for a large swing. Kira swung his sword to his left and heard a popping sound. "That trick again?" Kira said as he swung and dispersed another hidden clone. "Is that trick of yours even practical?" Kira asked

"Let me show you the answer to that." Naruto's voice echoed around Kira making it impossible to ascertain Naruto's location

"And how will you…" Just before Kira could finish his question Naruto appeared face to face with Kira. Forcing eye contact Naruto calmly said one word.

"Sharingan" Almost immediately Naruto disappeared in a puff a smoke, revealing him to be another clone. "I guess that surprise tactic only works if you knew what the sharingan actually was" Naruto chuckled to himself. "Whatever, guess I'll just have to work with things I actually have"

"Whatever you're talking about is irrelevant to the fight Uzumaki-san" Kira seemed to be getting irritated by Naruto's antics. Naruto could easily tell Kira was getting more serious by the use of his last name instead of his first.

"Wow, first you used honorifics and now you're using my last name." Kira could hear the gust of wind get faster and closer as Naruto spoke. "Well I guess I stalled long enough" Naruto's voice could finally be traced from one direction.

"So you're finally finished hiding your whereabouts" Kira said as he readied to parry any oncoming attacks.

"Yeah because it won't make a difference whether you can see me or not" Naruto's voice was rapidly approaching as well as the sound of rushing wind.

"You really are a cocky one, aren't you Uzumaki-san?" Kira noticed for some reason Naruto's hand seemed translucent.

"With something like this, hell yeah" Naruto yelled as he quickly approached Kira. "Kazeyari" Naruto yelled as he thrust his right hand forward.

"What the…?" Kira said as he tried to block the head on attack. The moment wabisuke got in the path of the attack Naruto seemed to pass right through it. Kira barely dodged the attack enough to continue the fight. As a result Kira's robe had a large slash in it and Kira's chest had a fairly large gash in it. Kira noticed Naruto kneeling on the ground in exaustion and began to speak. "What was that? You know what, don't answer. We can talk about this at the fourth squad barracks" Kira swung Wabisuke down at a panting Naruto. Just before the blade made contact it fell to the side, separated by what seemed like a very fine blade. "What just happened to wabisuke?"

Naruto chuckled and started to speak. "KazeYari, the wind spear. It was based on an attack my old sensei created… and _He_ perfected." Naruto said letting a quick burst of rage and sadness show. "It's an attack that makes my hand as thin and sharp as possible while giving it an extra push behind my normal muscle. In a fight of weapons the sharpest weapon wins and you've just witnessed that first hand."

Kira walked over and picked up the half of wabisuke that was severed. "You've made the biggest mistake of your existence Uzumaki-San" Kira put his sword next to a tree and took a very practical fighting stance.

"Naruto's gonna hurt now" Shuhei said as he chuckled into his hand.

"I hope he doesn't hurt Naru-kun too much" Momo said with worry in her voice

"Wow looks like I'll have more of a chance now especially since all the extra weight is gone" Naruto said as he created a clone. "You know what to do" He said. The clone immediately ran to another area of the field and started executing hand seals.

"Cherish your limbs while you can Uzumaki-san, they'll all be broken in multiple places soon" Kira took a tone that Naruto never imagined hearing from him. It instilled fear that he only felt the first time he met Orochimaru.

Naruto was not happy with what he just heard. He never saw this side of Kira. He also never saw him fight hand to hand. He thought to himself that it couldn't be that bad. If it was he would've been in the 11th squad right? Yeah, Naruto had nothing to worry about. That is until he felt three blows conect with his face.

"What are you thinking about Uzumaki-san" Kira started to speak as he continued to attack Naruto. He kicked Naruto in the ribs causing him to slide across the field. "I bet you were thinking that my hand to hand combat abilities aren't anything to be feared. Or maybe that now that we are fighting hand to hand you have more of a chance. Am I right?" Kira jumped up into the air and was decending onto Naruto's position. "Well you're terribly wrong"

Naruto could barely avoid Kira's attack. He rolled away and tried to stand up. Unable to stand, he kneeled and felt his body for any issues. He found two broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. He scanned the area for his sword but he couldn't find any sign of it.

"Looking for this Uzumaki-san" Kira held up Naruto's sword and gazed at at. "I expected a more spectacular looking sword from you, too bad" Kira threw Naruto's sword towards the patch of grass.

"Thanks for finding it for me" Naruto said as he feighned confidence. He then forced himself upright and created another shadow clone and ordered it to retreve the sword.

"Ah, that reminds me, what happeded to that other clone of yours?" Kira looked around and didn't see anything. He was preparing to destroy the other clone until he heard a loud terrible shriek followed by 3 other ones.

"I hope that's not what I think it is." Shuuhei looked at Momo who agreed

"How did they get traces of us? Everyone lowered their overall spiritual pressure right?" Kira looked at shuuhei

"Yeah, I was at halve, Momo too" He said as Momo Nodded in agreeance.

"What about you Naruto?" Kira looked over to Naruto who was barely concience from the strain using more chakra put on his body.

"What do you mean, since when did we have to lower our spiritual pressure?" Naruto had no idea what they were talking about. He could barely wrap his head around the fact that he couldn't stand up to them at halve strength.

"I told you when we first got here. This area is heavy with powerful Hollow so you can't exert too much energy otherwise they'll get a lock on our position" Momo looked frustrated as she spoke.

"We'll talk about this later, we have to go now" Kira said as he ran over to Naruto to heal him. Before he could make it four large hollow came into view and attacked. With combined efforts Kira, Momo, and Shuhei were able to easily take three hollow down but one wouldn't go down no matter how much they struck it. This hollow was amazingly large, it was shapped like a spider but his mask looked like a falcon's beak.

"You three smell delicious, please continue attacking, I like when my meals struggle" Almost immediately after finishing it's statement it went on the attack. It easily swatted away all three lieutenants.

Already tired from the training, the three could do little to stop the hollow from devouring them. Naruto was frantic. Forcing himself up he ran at the Hollow.

"Oh no little morcel, you smell especialy delicious so I'll be saving you for desert." The hollow swatted at Naruto causing him to go spinning throughthe air. When he landed he blacked out, uncontious.

The three heard multiple popping sounds telling that all of Naruto's clones were dispersed. They made desperate attempts to stop the hollow in it's tracks. From hado to kido, they tried everything and everything failed miserably. Each hit it took the hollow just shrugged off. Each binding spell was little but an obstacle to be stepped over. With a chuckle the Hollow produced a kido based bonding agent and bound them each to a seperate tree on the training area, restricting their movement.

Naruto was starting to come to and through blury eyes he thought he saw team seven together again sitting at the training post of his village. He smiled his happiest smile until he heard a shriek come from Momo. suddenly Naruto was aware of reality. He saw Momo being stuck with a spine from one of the hollow's legs.

"And you're the last one. This'll keep you from moving when I finally do decide to eat you; don't worry little morsels, you'll still be able to feel everything that I decide to do."

Naruto was frantic. he wasn't going to let another comrade be killed in front of his face, let alone 3. He looked around and found that he had landed close to his sword. Hearing Momo's shriek once again he looked over to see the hollow poking and prodding her with it's tounge, it then moved to Shuuhei and then Kira. Naruto wasn't going to sit back and watch this any more. Crawling as fast as his damaged body could take him he reached out for his sword. When he finally grasped it in his hands the world stopped and a voice echoed in his head.

"So you finally return. It seems that you are having some issues" The voice was familiar to Naruto. It was the same voice that he heard in his latest dream.

"You? where are you, how can you constantly talk to me" Naruto's voice echoed as if he was speaking into an empty hallway.

"Look in your hand then go further down the rabbit hole." The voice said

"My zanpaktou?"

"Ah, my master is a resourceful one, or at least someone with an open mind" The voice said with a tone giving off amusement.

"We don't have time for this, I have to help them right now and you need to help me"

"I shall, but first you have to talk to me face to face"

"Wha..." Before Naruto could ask any questions he found himself in his vilage. Everything was the same as he last remembered it there was hustle and bustle and kids laughing. "Was I immagining everything that happened? No, impossible you don't just imagine 3 years of being dead; but if that's the case then what's going on?" Naruto looked around and saw Sakura Konohamaru and sakura talking. Smiling he began to run to the two. As he got closer the two began to fade away. He increased his speed devastated at his lost friends being so close then fading away before his eyes. "No wait, don't leave." He stiffled tears as he dropped to his knees. "This isn't a dream, this is a nightmare"

"This is no Nightmare Naruto" The voice echoed through out the village.

"Then what is is because this isn't close to where I need to be" Naruto said in a rush.

"Come find me and I'll tell you" The voiced echoed until it faded away.

"If that's what it takes then so be it." Naruto said as he wandered off into the place he once called home.


	4. Halfway there but still whole

Naruto was wandering around for what seemed to be hours. He passed familiar landmarks and some places that were dear to his heart. He had broken down and cried more than he liked to admit as a ninja. He told himself that he had come to terms with what happened and that he wasn't haunted by the millions of memories he built in the past but wandering through such familiar settings forced him to come face to face with how false that actually was. Every emotion felt like it had been building pressure waiting to burst and when they did it felt like they burst all at once. What he thought he was over came back even more potent. He was mad at himself for not being able to protect everyone, he was sad that his whole village was destroyed in front of him, and he was scared that he wouldn't be able to protect anyone.

Naruto finally gave up hope. He dropped to his knees, broken by all the memories rushing back to him. He took stifled breaths as he held back tears. He couldn't take it anymore. He just wanted out, he didn't care if it meant having to go back and die fighting for the friends he made, in fact he would be content if it did end that way.

"Giving up already? Looks like I got the wrong impression from you." The voice echoed from every direction.

"What would you know?" Naruto yelled back furiously.

"Oh nothing, just everything about you. I care about you more than anyone else could. After all I've been with you since you first came to the soul society."

"You plague me with nightmares and then you bring me here to the one place that would bring me nothing but terrible memories and you expect me to believe that you care about me?" Naruto's fury only grew as the conversation continued.

"So you figured out that the dreams were my doing; yes I did do all of that exactly because of the effect I knew it would have. But you are wrong about one thing, I only told you to find me, I never told you to stay in the village. Now find me and speak to me face to face, and look everywhere."

Naruto realized that the voice was right, he had been forcing the bad memories on himself by assuming that the voice was somewhere in the village. He ran as fast as he could to the entrance of the village and looked at the area outside of the gate. Just before he reached the gate all the happy memories he had accumulated ran through his head. He saw the day he graduated the academy and all the friends he made. He saw his and Hinata's first date and his and Sakura's as well. He saw the day that Kakashi told him he had been chosen to be his successor as the next hokage and finally he saw the smiling faces of all the people waiting to hear him speak at his hokage inauguration.

"Can you really leave this place?" The voice returned once again.

"I almost forgot the good memories that were buried by the feelings I was experiencing. I can't just walk away from this place."

"Well you'll have to if you want to find me."

Naruto walked out of the village to see a women sitting on a rock not too far from the entrance. She had long red hair and wore a red robe. On the robe there were flowers printed on the sleeves. Her arms were crossed on her chest, which he couldn't help but notice were fairly large. She was nowhere near as large as Tsunade but she was definitely larger than average.

Naruto jumped back as his face contorted into a snarl. "Fox!" Naruto called out in surprise and anger.

The woman laughed and answered abruptly. "Wrong."

"Don't lie to me you stupid Fox. I figure since we're both dead you've come to take your revenge" Naruto scanned the area seemingly looking for something.

"Once again I have to say you're wrong. Apparently you're looking for your sword; I should tell you that you're not going to find that here, at least not for a while anyway." The woman placed her hand under her chin as she sighed out from boredom.

"I know the fox when I see him and you're going down with or without my sword." Naruto ran at the woman. As he made it close enough for him to throw a punch the woman disappeared from sight.

"First off, the fox is _MALE_, er technically he's genderless since he's just a mass of chakra but you know what I mean. Second, you and the fox made peace long before your hokage inauguration ceremony. " The woman appeared next to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"So, then who are you?" Naruto shrugged her hand off his body.

She smiled and spoke loudly. "My name is"

Naruto saw her lips move but didn't hear anything when she went to reveal her name. "Um, I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name"

She smiled and turned away from him. "Well then that's something we have to work on"

As she turned away Naruto noticed that her long hair actually formed into a long red fox tail with a small yellow flame on the end.

"Hey, quit staring and start moving" She looked back at him and winked as she disappeared off into the surrounding forest.

Before she could get too far Naruto started jogging in her direction. He finally made it to her side when he started to speak.

"Hey so where am I exactly?"

"You'll find out pretty soon" She said with a soft tone causing Naruto to flinch slightly.

"Well can you at least tell me how I got here, I mean it's impossible for this to be Konoha since… well you know." Naruto trailed off. "So um… where are you taking me?"

The woman giggled. "Who said I was taking you anywhere. The only one who knows where we're going Is you, but it's not strange that you think otherwise" It seemed to Naruto that every word she said was a riddle to be deciphered, she just refused to give a straight answer.

"If that's the case then we're stopping right here and you're going to tell me everything." Naruto looked at her with fiery blue eyes that pierced deeper than any sword ever could.

"Well if you say so, well where should I start…" As she finished speaking Naruto felt as if the world was moving. He closed his eyes and held his head to stabilize himself before he passed out before a strange woman. Within a few seconds he opened his eyes and found his surroundings had changed from that of trees and shrubbery to an empty chasm filled with nothing but debris and dust.

"Where are we, what happened to all the trees, and more importantly what's going on?" Naruto looked around and only became more frazzled by his lack of knowledge.

"I can answer your question with a simple gesture." She walked towards Naruto and held out her extended index and middle fingers. Half of the seal, you know the rest correct? Naruto nodded and mimicked her gesture and linked his and her fingers forming the seal of harmony.

Naruto looked into her eyes and started to speak. "How did you…" At that moment Naruto looked behind the woman and saw a large piece of debris that looked eerily familiar. As he slowly looked upwards he saw it, the shattered remains of the Great Hokage monument. Naruto gasped and stumbled back hysterically. "But how, there's no way. I was just in the village, there's no way we could be… No impossible" Naruto turned around to run to the village he just left but was met with the sight of a pristine and untouched Konoha village.

"Do you get it now?" The woman started "This is what you've been carrying with you since that day. This is what's been keeping you going and what's been holding you back."

"That's not possible." Naruto stopped and took in his surroundings completely. He was standing in the village that he grew up in but it was only half there, the other half was the completely eradicated village he was plagued with experiencing before he died. "Where am I? Tell me" Naruto yelled as he grabbed the woman by the shoulders. Tears flowed from his eyes and his voice broke as he started to plead for information. "Please, why do I have to see this, what is this place?"

The woman pulled him in close in a soothing embrace as rain started to cascade over the area. She spoke softly as she stroked his hair. "It's ok, I'm here and I've always been here. I've lived in this place for my whole existence. I am no stranger to its mysteries and tricks. But this is the first time since my youngest days that I've seen it this whole." She squeezed him closer as she continued. "I've wanted to meet you for so long, I've dreamed about it and imagined what you'd be like. I can say that I'm surprised. It's even rarer for it to rain in here."

"Where are we?" Naruto spoke into her chest in broken gasps and sobs.

She looked him in the eyes and smiled. "In your soul's mindscape. This is what your mind looks like. This is where I reside and where I've been watching you grow and train. I've watched you carry and hide all the guilt and I've wished I could take some of that burden away. Now my chance has finally come and I can share in your pain, guide you to happiness and be by your side fully." As she finished the rain slowed to a drizzle.

"So who are you?" Naruto asked as he wiped tears from his eyes.

The woman glowed and faded into innumerable shining balls. "I'm the tool that's meant to help you gain what you most desire. You may use me as you wish and I will help you in any way I can." The balls all collected in Naruto's hand and formed his zanpaktou. "And Naruto-kun, I hate the rain, more than you can imagine, so please never get down on yourself because I'll be there at your beck and call. Whenever you need me, no matter what"

Naruto's eyes jolted open to the sight of the hollow still playing with his comrades. "No!" Naruto screamed as he brandished his sword at the Hollow.

"Oh back for more punishment? I love this; I was right when I decided to leave you for dessert." The hollow lunged at Naruto with his spines brandished.

Naruto stood his ground and glared at the Hollow racing toward him. "Sway" Naruto started as he was surrounded by a red aura.

The Hollow felt the change and made a mental note. _This feeling, it's…_

Naruto's mind flashed back to the final words he traded with the spirit of his Zanpaktou.

_"What is it you want first Naruto?" The spirit asked_

Naruto placed his free hand on the butt of the sword and continued to speak.

_Naruto only replied one word. "Redemption"_

_The spirit chuckled and replied "That's funny because my name is"_

"Nine tails of redemption" At that moment the sword compressed into the hilt of sword. 8 spikes protruded from the side of the guard on the hilt and one pointed out where the blade used to be, each spike had a yellow tip with a red aura. Immediately the spike that rested where the blade once rested shot out and pierced the Hollow. The spike was attached to a chain made of kido that seemed to burn the Hollow on contact.

The hollow struggled to get free and lost a leg but succeeded in that regard. As he escaped he started to speak. "Just as I thought, that feeling. It was just like his."

When the hollow was out of sight Naruto ran over and freed his friends who all fell to the ground exhausted and still slightly paralyzed from the hollow. Through gasps they each started to speak.

"So that's your release? It definitely got the job done" Shuuhei said.

"Yeah Naru-kun It's really great how you saved us. I don't know what we would have done without you"

"Well we actually wouldn't have had to deal with it but it's still great that Naruto can handle himself against a hollow" Kira said as Momo glared at him for his response.

"I'm glad everything's ok but what that Hollow said before it left, it's really bugging me"

"Don't think anything of it Naruto, it probably wasn't anything at all." Momo said as she regained her strength and stood up followed by the other two.

"Yeah I bet you're right" Naruto said as he stared at the half yin yang sign on his sword. As the four walked back to the Seretei Twilight descended onto Naruto's mindscape causing his spirit to look out into the distance with nostalgic worry.


End file.
